On the Way to Safer Fishing, Fresh Fish in Abundance

Fishermen vote resoundingly for red snapper catch share program

Posted: 01-Mar-2006; Updated: 09-May-2006

A catch share program in the Gulf of Mexico will mean more fresh snapper year-round.

A catch share program in the Gulf of Mexico will mean more fresh snapper in markets and restaurants year-round.

In good news for the Gulf of Mexico’s red snapper fishery, fishermen approved the Gulf's first individual fishing quota (IFQ) system. Snapper fishermen voted overwhelmingly in favor of the IFQ program, with 87 percent of the weighted votes supporting the program (weighted votes are tied to fishermen's historical catches).

Donny Waters, a snapper fisherman from Pensacola, Florida, said that the outcome of the vote gives him a bright outlook for the fishery's future. "We fishermen are hoping to get our lives back and put an end to the race for fish. An IFQ system should bring us better prices and bring a better product to consumers."

For years, our oceans staff laid the groundwork for an IFQ program, working closely with area fisherman. Also known as catch share programs, IFQs allow for smarter, more sustainable management of fish populations. They allocate shares of the annual allowable catch to individual fishermen, giving them the incentive and flexibility to decide when weather and market conditions are right. (More on catch shares.)

What this vote means

This vote brings the decade-long effort closer to its final step. In March, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will consider the fishermen's vote, and is likely to approve their choice.

"That means fishermen will get safer fishing, reduced costs and higher prices; consumers will get fresh fish year-round; and red snapper fish stocks will rebound," said Pam Baker, regional director for Environmental Defense’s Gulf of Mexico program. "These are all gains that fisherman and environmentalists both want to achieve -- we’re all in the same boat, so to speak."

Current system hurts both fishermen and fisheries

Today's outdated system is built around restrictive regulations that pit fishermen against fishermen in derbies, dangerous races for fish. The onerous rules dictate when fishermen can fish, what size net to use, what size fish can be caught, and more. Fishermen have little choice but to go out during a narrow window of time, no matter what the market conditions or storm forecast. Worse, this system has failed to keep the red snapper population strong, and fish stocks have plummeted in the last couple of decades.

"Derbies are very destructive to fishermen’s lives and our ocean resources," said Wayne Werner, a red snapper fisherman from Louisiana. "They take a personal toll on families. I can't go to weddings. I haven't been home for either of my son's birthdays in years, because they fall in the first ten days of the month, the short time we can fish. With an IFQ system we can slow down, judge when the right time to fish is and deal with the problem of bycatch."

Bycatch, the wasteful practice of landing nontargeted fish and other marine life, which often end up dead, is partly the result of current size limits of snapper -- if too small, snappers must be discarded and frequently die. (See Oceans in Trouble for more on bycatch and other ocean challenges.)

A better way to fish, and fresher fish to sell

Phillip Lara, a Gulf shrimp fishermen and seafood dealer, is convinced that the system is the way to go not only for red snapper but also for shrimp, reef fish and other key commercial fisheries like drum and flounder. "People eating in restaurants in Corpus Christi right on the coast can't get fresh snapper," Lara said. Because the bulk of fish are caught at one time, much must be frozen and thus snapper is hard to get fresh.

Once an IFQ system is fully implemented and the fishing season lengthens, fresh snapper should be more widely available. A case in point: the IFQ program for Alaska halibut, whereby the fishing season stretched to 300 days a year and now fresh fish, once a rarity, can now be had a good part of the year across the country, not just in Alaska. The red snapper IFQ program will serve as a model for other troubled commercial and recreational fisheries in the Gulf.

National vision: Add IFQs to national fisheries law

Fisheries reform is also a national concern, as the Senate moves forward with reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which governs all fishery management activities within 200 miles of the coast. "We are hopeful IFQs will be incorporated into Magnuson-Stevens as a successful management tool that can help achieve sustainable fisheries while moving away from hazardous fishing, wasted fish and financial hardship for fishermen," said Baker.

These are all good reasons for optimism and a bright future for fisheries, fishermen and the coastal communities that rely on fishery resources.